Shared terminal, communication system, image transmission method, and recording medium

ABSTRACT

A shared terminal includes: circuitry to cause a display to display an image to a plurality of users, the plurality of users simultaneously sharing use of the shared terminal; and a network interface to communicate with a destination management server through a network, the destination management server being different from the shared terminal and storing, in a memory, for each of the plurality of users, user identification information of the user in association with an email address of the user. The circuitry: obtains, from a first terminal of a first user of the plurality of users, first terminal identification information identifying the first terminal; transmits first user identification information of the user of the first terminal to the destination management server; receives, from the destination management server, a first email address of the first user, the first email address being obtained from the memory of the destination management server using the first user identification information; and transmits an email addressed to the received first email address to allow the first user to obtain data relating to the image displayed to the plurality of users.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of PCT Application No.PCT/JP2017/025805, filed Jul. 14, 2017, which is based on and claimspriority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2016-142078, filed on Jul. 20, 2016, in the Japan Patent Office, theentire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shared terminal, communicationsystem, image transmission method, and recording medium.

Description of the Related Art

Recently, electronic whiteboards are disposed in various types of placessuch as meeting rooms in companies or classrooms in educationalinstitutions. The electronic whiteboard is provided with a touch paneldisplay of large size, on which each user draws an image with anelectronic pen or his or her finger. The image drawn by each user isdisplayed to a plurality of users in the same room. Through sharing theimage between the users, a meeting or a lecture can be conducted moresmoothly.

After the meeting or class finishes, the image being displayed on theelectronic whiteboard, such as data of the drawing image drawn on theelectronic whiteboard, may be transmitted to a personal computer (PC)owned by any user who is participating in the meeting or class, as anattachment file to an email. This simplifies a process of distributingthe material used during the meeting or class.

However, to transmit data such as the drawing image data as an emailattachment file from the electronic whiteboard, the electronicwhiteboard requests the user to manually enter his or her email addresswith an electronic pen. Accordingly, transmission of an email attachedwith such as the drawing image data has been cumbersome for the user asit requires manual operation to be performed by the user.

SUMMARY

In one or more embodiments, a shared terminal includes: circuitry tocause a display to display an image to a plurality of users, theplurality of users simultaneously sharing use of the shared terminal;and a network interface to communicate with a destination managementserver through a network, the destination management server beingdifferent from the shared terminal and storing, in a memory, for each ofthe plurality of users, user identification information of the user inassociation with an email address of the user. The circuitry furtherobtains: from a first terminal of a first user of the plurality ofusers, first terminal identification information identifying the firstterminal; transmits first user identification information of the user ofthe first terminal to the destination management server; receives, fromthe destination management server, a first email address of the firstuser, the first email address being obtained from the memory of thedestination management server using the first user identificationinformation; and transmits an email addressed to the received firstemail address to allow the first user to obtain data relating to theimage displayed to the plurality of users

In one example, a communication system is provided, which includes theshared terminal, the terminal management server, and the destinationmanagement server.

In one example, a method of controlling transmission of an image isprovided, which includes: displaying, on a display, an image to aplurality of users, the plurality of users simultaneously sharing use ofthe shared terminal; communicating with a destination management server,the destination management server storing, in a memory, for each one ofthe plurality of users, user identification information of the user inassociation with an email address of the user; obtaining, from a firstterminal of a first user of the plurality of users, first terminalidentification information identifying the first terminal; transmittingthe received first user identification information to the destinationmanagement server; receiving a first email address of the first userfrom the destination management server, the first email address beingobtained from the memory of the destination management server using thefirst user identification information; and transmitting an emailaddressed to the first email address to allow the first user to obtaindata relating to the image displayed to the plurality of users.

In one example, a non-transitory recording medium is provided, whichstores a control program for causing one or more processors to performthe above-described method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understoodfrom the following detailed description with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an electronic whiteboard, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an integrated circuit (IC) card, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a smart phone, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a personal computer (PC), according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a multifunctional peripheral (MFP), according to anembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of a videoconference terminal, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 8A and 8B (FIG. 8) are an illustration of example screensdisplayed by a display at the electronic whiteboard.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D (FIG. 9) are an illustration of example screensdisplayed by the display at the electronic whiteboard.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D (FIG. 10) are an illustration of examplescreens displayed by the display at the electronic whiteboard.

FIGS. 11A and 11B (FIG. 11) are a schematic diagram illustrating afunctional configuration of the communication system, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 12A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal managementtable, according to an embodiment; FIG. 12B is a conceptual diagramillustrating a destination management table, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating operation of processing datacommunication, according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an illustration for explaining a use scenario of theelectronic whiteboard, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating operation of preparing fortransmission of an email, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operation of processing display of adestination confirmation screen, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 17A and 17B (FIG. 17) are an illustration of example screensdisplayed by the display at the electronic whiteboard.

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating operation of processing datacommunication, according to a second embodiment.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of thepresent invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scopethereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn toscale unless explicitly noted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specificterminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosureof this specification is not intended to be limited to the specificterminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specificelement includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function,operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentinvention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise.

Referring to the drawings, a communication system 1 is described indetail according to embodiments.

Overview of System Configuration

First, an overview of a configuration of the communication system 1 isdescribed according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagramillustrating a configuration of the communication system 1 according tothe embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 of the embodimentincludes an electronic whiteboard 2 x, an electronic whiteboard 2 y, anIC card 3, a smart phone 4, a terminal management server 5, adestination management server 6, a mail server 7, a print server 8, anMFP 9, PCs 10 a and 10 b, and a videoconference terminal 13. Forsimplicity, in the following, any arbitrary one of the electronicwhiteboards 2 x and 2 y is referred to as the “electronic whiteboard 2”.Any arbitrary one of the PCs 10 a and 10 b is referred to as the “PC10”.

The electronic whiteboard 2, the terminal management server 5, thedestination management server 6, the mail server 7, the print server 8,the MFP 9, the PC 10, and the videoconference terminal 13 arecommunicable with one another through a communication network 100. Thecommunication network 100 is implemented by the Internet, mobilecommunication network, local area network (LAN), etc. The communicationnetwork 100 may include, in addition to a wired network, a wirelessnetwork in compliance with such as 3rd Generation (3G), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution(LTE), etc. The electronic whiteboard 2, IC card 3, and smart phone 4are communicable with one another using a near-distance communicationtechnology in compliance with such as Near Field Communication (NFC)(Registered Trademark). The smart phone 4 may communicate with theelectronic whiteboard 2 using the near-distance communication technologyin compliance with such as Bluetooth (Registered Trademark).

One of the electronic whiteboard 2 a and the electronic whiteboard 2 btransmits or receives drawing image data representing a content drawn bya user (“drawing image data”), to or from the other one of theelectronic whiteboard 2 a and the electronic whiteboard 2 b. That is,the content drawn at the electronic whiteboard 2 a is displayed at theelectronic whiteboard 2 b, and the content drawn at the electronicwhiteboard 2 b is displayed at the electronic whiteboard 2 a.

The electronic whiteboard 2 generates image data in Refined PrintingCommand Stream (PRCS) based on the drawing image data, and transmits thegenerated image data to the MFP 9 through the communication network 100.The MFP 9 prints a drawing image based on the image data received fromthe electronic whiteboard 2. In another example, the electronicwhiteboard 2 generates image data in Portable Document Format (PDF)based on the drawing image data, and transmits an electronic mailattached with the generated image data to the PC 10 through thecommunication network 100. The PC 10 displays a drawing image based onthe image data extracted from the electronic mail.

The electronic whiteboard 2 may display an image other than the drawingimage drawn by the user (“non-drawing image”), such as an image of apresentation material. The electronic whiteboard 2 generates image datain PRCS based on non-drawing image data, and transmits the generatedimage data to the MFP 9 through the communication network 100. Inanother example, the electronic whiteboard 2 generates image data in PDFbased on the non-drawing image data, and transmits an electronic mailattached with the generated image data to the PC 10 through thecommunication network 100.

In this disclosure, the image data in PRCS and the image data in PDFeach represent a content of a drawing image drawn by a user, or anon-drawing image displayed by a user, for example. The electronicwhiteboard 2 is an example of a shared terminal to be shared by aplurality of users, such that the plurality of users can view the sameimage at a same time. The IC card 3 and the smart phone 4 are an exampleof a privately-owned terminal, privately owned by each user. Preferably,the privately-owned terminal is a portable terminal, which is easilycarried with the user, such as to the meeting. The MFP 9 is an exampleof a printer. The PC 10 is an example of an individual terminal operatedby an individual user. Examples of the PC 10 include a desktop PC, anotebook PC, and a tablet. In this disclosure, the individual terminalis a terminal that is operated by the user such as a terminal owned bythe user. The PC 10 does not have to be brought to the meeting, as longas the user is able to access his or her email address using the PC 10.

Further, the image data may be generated not only in PRCS, but in anyother desired format such as a printer control language (PCL), pagedescription language (PDL), or Post Script (PS).

In FIG. 1, the user A, who owns the IC card 3, brings the IC card 3 to ameeting being held with the electronic whiteboard 2. The user B, whoowns the smart phone 4, brings the smart phone 4 to the meeting beingheld with the electronic whiteboard 2. The PC 10 a is any PC owned bythe user A. The PC 10 b is any PC owned by the user B. In one example,the electronic whiteboard 2 may have a videoconference capability, tocarry out a videoconference with the videoconference terminal 13 bycommunicating video data and audio data through the communicationnetwork 100.

The terminal management server 5 manages, for each privately-ownedterminal, terminal identification (ID) identifying the privately-ownedterminal. The destination management server 6 manages an email addressof the user. In this example, the user is able to check his or heremails through the PC 10 individually owned by each user. Morespecifically, the destination management server 6 stores an emailaddress of the user in association with a user ID of the user. The mailserver 7 controls transmission or reception of electronic mails (emails)through the communication network 100. The print server 8 stores datareflecting the image data transmitted from the electronic whiteboard 2or PC 10 (in this disclosure, print data), and, in response to a requestfrom the MFP 9, transmits the data reflecting the image data to the MFP9.

Hardware Configuration

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 7, a hardware configuration of the apparatus orterminal in the communication system 1 is described according to theembodiment.

Hardware Configuration of Electronic Whiteboard

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theelectronic whiteboard 2, according to the embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the electronic whiteboard 2 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM) 202, a random access memory (RAM)203, a solid state drive (SSD) 204, a network interface (I/F) 205, andan external device connection interface (I/F) 206.

The CPU 201 controls entire operation of the electronic whiteboard 2.The ROM 202 stores a control program for operating the CPU 201 such asan Initial Program Loader (IPL). The RAM 203 is used as a work area forthe CPU 201. The SSD 204 stores various data such as the control programfor the electronic whiteboard 2. The network I/F 205 controlscommunication with an external device through the communication network100. The external device connection I/F 206 controls communication witha USB memory 2600, and external devices such as a camera 2400, a speaker2300, a microphone 2200, etc.

The electronic whiteboard 2 further includes a capturing device 211, agraphics processing unit (GPU) 212, a display controller 213, a contactsensor 214, a sensor controller 215, an electronic pen controller 216, anear-distance communication circuit 219, an antenna 219 a for thenear-distance communication circuit 219, and a power switch 222.

The capturing device 211 causes a display 508 of the PC 10 to display astill image or a video image based on image data that is captured by thecapturing device 211. The GPU 212 is a semiconductor chip dedicated toprocessing a graphical image. The display controller 213 controlsdisplay of an image processed at the GPU 212 for output through adisplay 220 provided with the electronic whiteboard 2. The contactsensor 214 detects a touch onto the display 220 with an electronic pen2500 or a user's hand H. The sensor controller 215 controls operation ofthe contact sensor 214. The contact sensor 715 senses a touch input to aspecific coordinate on the display 220 using the infrared blockingsystem. More specifically, the display 220 is provided with two lightreceiving elements disposed on both upper side ends of the display 220,and a reflector frame disposed at the sides of the display 220. Thelight receiving elements emit a plurality of infrared rays in parallelto a surface of the display 220. The light receiving elements receivelights passing in the direction that is the same as an optical path ofthe emitted infrared rays, which are reflected by the reflector frame.The contact sensor 214 outputs an identifier (ID) of the infrared raythat is blocked by an object (such as the user's hand) after beingemitted from the light receiving elements, to the sensor controller 215.Based on the ID of the infrared ray, the sensor controller 215 detects aspecific coordinate that is touched by the object. The electronic pencontroller 216 communicates with the electronic pen 2500 to detect atouch by the tip or bottom of the pen 15 to the display 220. Thenear-distance communication circuit 219 is a communication circuit thatcommunicates in compliance with the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.

The power switch 222 turns on or off the power of the electronicwhiteboard 2.

The electronic whiteboard 2 further includes a bus line 210. The busline 210 is an address bus or a data bus, which electrically connectsthe elements in FIG. 2 such as the CPU 201.

The contact sensor 214 is not limited to the infrared blocking systemtype, and may be a different type of detector, such as a capacitancetouch panel that identifies the contact position by detecting a changein capacitance, a resistance film touch panel that identifies thecontact position by detecting a change in voltage of two opposedresistance films, or an electromagnetic induction touch panel thatidentifies the contact position by detecting electromagnetic inductioncaused by contact of an object to a display. In addition or inalternative to detecting a touch by the tip or bottom of the pen 15, theelectronic pen controller 216 may also detect a touch by another part ofthe electronic pen 2500, such as a part held by a hand of the user.

Hardware Configuration of IC Card

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the IC card3 according to the embodiment. In this disclosure, the contactless ICcard is described, but contact IC card may be applied instead. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the IC card 3 includes an IC chip 310 and anantenna coil 330. The IC card 3 further includes a CPU 311, a ROM 312, aRAM 313, an Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM (EEPROM) 314, andan antenna I/F 318.

The CPU 311 controls entire operation of the IC card 3. The ROM 312stores a control program for operating the CPU 311. The RAM 313 is usedas a work area for the CPU 311. The EEPROM 314 stores various data suchas the control program for the IC card 3, and terminal ID foridentifying the IC card 3, and the like. The antenna I/F 318 controlstransmission or reception of data with an external device via theantenna coil 330.

The IC card 3 further includes a bus line 320. The bus line 320 is anaddress bus or a data bus, which electrically connects the elements inFIG. 3 such as the CPU 311.

The antenna coil 330 generates an electric current, which is induced asthe IC card 3 passes an electromagnetic field generated by radio wavesemitted from an external device such as a reader and writer. The IC card3 uses the generated electric current to activate the IC chip 310, andcommunicates with the external device, that is the reader and writer, toobtain or provide data with the external device.

Hardware Configuration of Smart Phone

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the smartphone 4 according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the smartphone 4 includes a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, an EEPROM 404, aComplementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor 405, anacceleration and orientation sensor 406, a medium I/F 408, and a GPSreceiver 409.

The CPU 401 controls entire operation of the smart phone 4. The ROM 402stores a control program for controlling the CPU 401 such as an IPL. TheRAM 403 is used as a work area for the CPU 401. The EEPROM 404 reads orwrites various data such as a control program for the smart phone 4under control of the CPU 401. The CMOS sensor 405 captures an object(mainly, the user operating the smart phone 4) under control of the

CPU 401 to obtain captured image data. The acceleration and orientationsensor 406 includes various sensors such as an electromagnetic compassor gyrocompass for detecting geomagnetism, and an acceleration sensor.The medium I/F 408 controls reading or writing of data with respect to arecording medium 407 such as a flash memory. The GPS receiver 409receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite.

The smart phone 4 further includes a far-distance communication circuit411, a camera 412, an imaging element I/F 413, a microphone 414, aspeaker 415, an audio input/output I/F 416, a display 417, an externaldevice connection I/F 418, a near-distance communication circuit 419, anantenna 419 a for the near-distance communication circuit 419, and atouch panel 421.

The far-distance communication circuit 411 is a circuit thatcommunicates with other device through the communication network 100.The camera 412 is an example of imaging device capable of capturing asubject under control of the CPU 401, and is incorporated in the smartphone 4. The imaging element 1/F 413 is a circuit that controls drivingof the camera 412. The microphone 414 is an example of audio collectingdevice capable of inputting audio under control of the CPU 401, and isincorporated in the smart phone 4. The audio I/O I/F 416 is a circuitfor inputting or outputting an audio signal between the microphone 414and the speaker 415 under control of the CPU 401. The display 417 may bea liquid crystal or organic electro luminescence (EL) display thatdisplays an image of a subject, an operation icon, or the like. Theexternal device I/F 418 is an interface circuit that connects the smartphone 4 to various external devices. The near-distance communicationcircuit 419 is a communication circuit that communicates in compliancewith the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like. The touch panel 421 is anexample of input device that enables the user to input a userinstruction through touching a screen of the display 417.

The smart phone 4 further includes a bus line 410. The bus line 410 isan address bus or a data bus, which electrically connects the elementsin FIG. 4 such as the CPU 401.

Hardware Configuration of Server and PC

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the serverand the PC, according to the embodiment. In this disclosure, since theterminal management server 5, destination management server 6, mailserver 7, print server 8, PC 10 a, and PC 10 b have a substantially thesame hardware structure, a hardware configuration of the terminalmanagement server 5 is described below as an example. In the followingdescription, even in case of describing the hardware configuration ofthe destination management server 6, mail server 7, print server 8, PC10 a, and PC 10 b, the elements in FIG. 5 are referred.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the terminal management server 5, which may beimplemented by a computer, includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, ahard disk (HD) 504, a hard disk drive (HDD) 505, a recording medium 506,a medium I/F 507, a display 508, a network I/F 509, a keyboard 511, amouse 512, a CD-ROM drive 514, and a bus line 510. Since the terminalmanagement server 5 operates as a server, an input device such as thekeyboard 511 and the mouse 512, or an output device such as the display508 does not have to be provided.

The CPU 501 controls entire operation of the terminal management server5. The ROM 502 stores a control program for controlling the CPU 501 suchas an IPL. The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HD504 stores various data such as a control program. The HDD 505 controlsreading or writing of various data to or from the HDD 504 under controlof the CPU 501. The medium I/F 507 controls reading or writing of datawith respect to a recording medium 506 such as a flash memory. Thedisplay 508 displays various information such as a cursor, menu, window,characters, or image. The network I/F 509 is an interface that controlscommunication of data with an external device through the communicationnetwork 100. The keyboard 511 is one example of input device providedwith a plurality of keys for allowing a user to input characters,numerals, or various instructions. The mouse 512 is one example of inputdevice for allowing the user to select a specific instruction orexecution, select a target for processing, or move a curser beingdisplayed. The CD-ROM drive 514 reads or writes various data withrespect to a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM) 513, which is one example ofremovable recording medium.

The terminal management server 5 further includes a bus line 510. Thebus line 510 may be an address bus or a data bus, which electricallyconnects various elements such as the CPU 501 of FIG. 5.

Hardware Configuration of MFP

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP 9,according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the MFP 9includes a controller 901, a near -distance communication circuit 920,an engine controller 930, a control panel 940, and a network I/F 950.

The controller 910 includes a CPU 901 as a main processor, a systemmemory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) 906, a local memory(MEM-C) 907, a HDD 908, and a HD 909. The NB 903 and the ASIC 906 areconnected through an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus 921.

The CPU 901 controls entire operation of the MFP 9. The NB 903 connectsthe CPU 901, with the MEM-P 902, SB 904, and AGP bus 921. The NB 903includes a memory controller for controlling reading or writing ofvarious data with respect to the MEM -P 902, a Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 902 includes a ROM 902 a as a memory that stores program anddata for achieving various functions of the controller 910. The MEM-P902 further includes a RAM 902 b as a memory that deploys the programand data, or as a drawing memory that stores drawing data for printing.The program stored in the RAM 902 b may be stored in anycomputer-readable recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, floppy disk (FD),CD-R, or DVD, in a file format installable and executable by thecomputer, for distribution.

The SB 904 connects the NB 903 with a PCI bus 922 or a peripheraldevice. The ASIC 906 is an integrated circuit (IC) privately-owned toimage processing, and connects the AGP bus 905, PCI bus 922, HDD 908,and MEM-C 907. The ASIC 906 includes a PCI target, an AGP master, anarbiter (ARB) as a central processor, a memory controller forcontrolling the MEM-C 907, a plurality of direct memory accesscontrollers (DMACs) capable of converting coordinates of image data witha hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scannercontroller 931 and the printer controller 932 through the PCI bus 922.The ASIC 906 may be connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USC) interface,or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394 (IEEE1394)interface.

The MEM-C 907 is a local memory, which is used as a buffer for imagedata to be printed or code image. The HD 909 stores various image data,font data for printing, and form data. The HDD 908 reads or writesvarious data from or to the HD 909 under control of the CPU 901. The AGPbus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card, which hasbeen proposed to accelerate graphics processing. Through directlyaccessing the MEM -P 902 by high-throughput, processes by the AGP bus921 can be accelerated.

The near-distance communication circuit 920 is provided with an antenna920 a for the near-distance communication circuit 920. The near-distancecommunication circuit 920 is a communication circuit that communicatesin compliance with the NFC, the Bluetooth, and the like.

The engine controller 930 includes a scanner controller 931 and aprinter controller 932. The control panel 940 includes a display 940 aand various keys 940 b. The control panel 940 displays current settingsor a selection screen, and is provided with a touch panel for receivinga user input. The keys 940 b, which include such as a ten key and aStart key, are used by the user to enter set values of various imageforming parameters such as image density parameter. The controller 910controls entire operation of the MFP 9. In example operation, thecontroller 910 controls drawing, communication, or user inputs to thecontrol panel 940. The scanner controller 931 and the printer controller932 each perform various image processing, such as error diffusion orgamma conversion.

In response to an instruction to select a specific application throughthe control panel 940, for example, using a mode switch key, the MFP 9selectively performs a document box function, copy function, printfunction, and facsimile function. When the document box function isselected, the MFP 9 changes its operating mode to a document box mode tostore document data. With selection of the copy function, the MFP 90operates in a copy mode. With selection of the print function, the MFP 9operates in a printer mode. With selection of the facsimile function,the MFP 9 operates in a facsimile mode.

The network I/F 950 controls communication of data with an externaldevice through the communication network 100. The near-distancecommunication circuit 920 and the network I/F 950 are electricallyconnected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

Hardware Configuration of Videoconference Terminal

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thevideoconference terminal 13 according to the embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 7, the videoconference terminal 13 includes a CPU 101, a ROM102, a RAM 103, a flash memory 104, a SSD 105, a medium I/F 107, anoperation key 108, a power switch 109, a bus line 110, a network I/F111, a camera 112, an imaging element 1/F 113, a microphone 114, aspeaker 115, an audio input/output I/F 116, a display I/F 117, anexternal device connection I/F 118, a near-distance communicationcircuit 119, and an antenna 119 a for the near-distance communicationcircuit 119. The CPU 101 controls entire operation of thevideoconference terminal 13. The ROM 102 stores a control program forcontrolling the CPU 101 such as an IPL. The RAM 103 is used as a workarea for the CPU 101. The flash memory 104 stores various data such as acommunication control program, image data, and audio data. The SSD 105controls reading or writing of various data to or from the flash memory104 under control of the CPU 101. In alternative to the SSD, a hard diskdrive (HDD) may be used. The medium I/F 107 controls reading or writingof data with respect to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory.The operation key (keys) 108 is operated by a user to input a userinstruction such as a user selection of a communication destination ofthe videoconference terminal 13. The power switch 109 is a switch thatreceives an instruction to turn on or off the power of thevideoconference terminal 13.

The network I/F 111 allows communication of data with an external devicethrough the communication network 100 such as the Internet. The camera112 is an example of built-in imaging device capable of capturing asubject under control of the CPU 101. The imaging element 1/F 113 is acircuit that controls driving of the camera 112. The microphone 114 isan example of built-in audio collecting device capable of inputtingaudio under control of the CPU 101. The audio I/O I/F 116 is a circuitfor inputting or outputting an audio signal between the microphone 114and the speaker 115 under control of the CPU 101. The display I/F 117 isa circuit for transmitting image data to an external display 120 undercontrol of the CPU 101. The external device connection I/F 118 is aninterface circuit that connects the videoconference terminal 13 tovarious external devices. The near-distance communication circuit 119 isa communication circuit that communicates in compliance with the NFC,the Bluetooth, and the like.

The bus line 110 may be an address bus or a data bus, which electricallyconnects various elements such as the CPU 101 of FIG. 7.

The display 120 is an example of a displaying unit, such as a liquidcrystal or organic electroluminescence (EL) display that displays animage of a subject, an operation icon, or the like. The display 120 isconnected to the display I/F 117 by a cable 120 c. The cable 120 c maybe an analog red green blue (RGB) (video graphic array (VGA)) signalcable, a component video cable, a high-definition multimedia interface(HDMI) signal cable, or a digital video interactive (DVI) signal cable.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state imaging element thatconverts an image (video) of a subject to electronic data by convertinglight to electric charge. As the solid-state imaging element, forexample, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or acharge-coupled device (CCD) is used. The external device connection I/F118 is capable of connecting an external device such as an externalcamera, an external microphone, or an external speaker through a USBcable or the like. In the case where an external camera is connected,the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112under control of the CPU 101. Similarly, in the case where an externalmicrophone is connected or an external speaker is connected, theexternal microphone or the external speaker is driven in preference tothe built-in microphone 114 or the built-in speaker 115 under control ofthe CPU 101.

The recording medium 106 is removable from the videoconference terminal13. The recording medium 106 can be any non-volatile memory that readsor writes data under control of the CPU 101, such that any memory suchas an EEPROM may be used instead of the flash memory 104.

Example Screens of Electronic Whiteboard

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, example screens of the electronic whiteboard2 are described according to the embodiment. FIGS. 8 to 10 eachillustrate a screen displayed by the electronic whiteboard 2. Theelectronic whiteboard 2 displays, on the display 220, a drawing imagescreen 230 as illustrated in FIG. 8A, for example. The drawing imagescreen 230 displays a drawing image (such as a circle and a triangle infigure) drawn by the user with such as the electronic pen 2500. Thedrawing image screen 230 displays a “Menu” button 231 at the lowerright. The “Menu” button 231 is a graphical image, when selected by theuser, performs various types of functions of the electronic whiteboard2. When the user presses the “Menu” button 231 with such as theelectronic pen 2500, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the electronicwhiteboard 2 displays, on the drawing image screen 230, a menu selectionwindow (image) 232 for allowing selection of a function provided by theelectronic whiteboard 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 8B, the menu selection window 232 includes a“Read” button 234, a “Save” button 235, a “Print” button 236, an “Email”button 237, and a “QR code” button 239.

Of those buttons, the “Read” button 234 is a graphical image, which,when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to read drawing imagedata that is stored in the SSD 204 after the image is drawn, for displayonto the display 220. The “Save” button 235 is a graphical image, which,when selected, causes the electronic whiteboard 2 to store the drawingimage drawn by the user in the SSD 204 as the drawing image data. The“Print” button 236 is a graphical image, which, when selected, causesthe electronic whiteboard 2 to print the drawing image displayed on thedrawing image screen 230 using such as the MFP 9. The “Email” button 237is a graphical image, which, when selected, causes the electronicwhiteboard 2 to transmit the drawing image displayed on the drawingimage screen 230, as the drawing image data attached to the email. The“QR code” button 239 is a graphical image, which, when selected, causesthe electronic whiteboard 2 to display, on the display 220, a QR codeembedded with a device ID identifying the own device (that is, theelectronic whiteboard 2).

Next, example screens to be displayed by the electronic whiteboard 2when the buttons 234 to 237 and 239 are respectively selected, aredescribed.

In response to pressing of the “Read” button 234 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a folderselection screen 240 as illustrated in FIG. 9A. The folder selectionscreen 240 displays a plurality of folder icons to be used for selectinga folder storing an electronic file to be read. When the user selects adesired folder icon (“folder 01”, for example) with the electronic pen2500, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, on the display 220, a fileselection screen 245 as illustrated in FIG. 9B. The file selectionscreen 245 displays a plurality of file icons to be used for selectingan electronic file to be read. When the user selects a desired file iconwith the electronic pen 2500, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays, onthe display 220, a drawing image screen 230 including a drawing image ofthe selected file, as illustrated in FIG. 8A.

In response to pressing of the “Save” button 235 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a folderselection screen 250 as illustrated in FIG. 9C. The folder selectionscreen 250 displays a plurality of folder icons to be used for selectinga folder to store an electronic file. The user selects the folder tostore the electronic file, by selecting a desired folder icon with theelectronic pen 2500.

In response to pressing of the “Print” button 236 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a printconfiguration screen 260 as illustrated in FIG. 9D. The printconfiguration screen 260 displays various types of print parameters, anda pull-down menu to be used for changing a configuration for each of theprint parameters. The print configuration screen 260 includes the menus261 to 264, respectively, for selecting color or monochrome printing,selecting a sheet size (A4, A3, etc.), selecting faces to be printed(single-sided or duplex), and selecting the increase or decrease of anumber of pages to be printed. The print configuration screen 260further displays, in a field 265, a device name identifying a printer toprint (in this example, “MFP 9”). The print configuration screen 260displays a “Print” button 267 to be pressed by the user to startprinting. For each of the screens illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and9D, “Cancel” buttons 249, 259, and 269 are displayed to return to thedrawing image screen 230 illustrated in FIG. 8A.

In response to pressing of the “Email” button 237 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display adestination configuration screen 270 illustrated in FIG. 10A. Thedestination configuration screen 270 includes a “Registered addressbook” tab 271 for showing registered email addresses, and a “Manualinput” tab 272 for allowing the user to manually input an email addresswith such as the electronic pen 2500. In this example, a case where the“Registered address book” tab 271 is selected is displayed. Thedestination configuration screen 270 displays a registered address bookfield 273 that lists the registered email addresses. When the userselects a desired email address (in this example, “USER1 @ . . . ”) withthe electronic pen 2500, the electronic whiteboard 2 displays the emailaddress selected by the user in an address configuration field 274 asillustrated in FIG. 10B. The destination configuration screen 270displays a “Send” button 277 to be selected by the user to starttransmission of email. In another example, the electronic whiteboard 2may display an email configuration screen 280 as illustrated in FIG.10C, as a screen to be displayed to an administrator or a serviceengineer, but not to the general user. The email configuration screen280 includes a server address field 281, a port number field 282, asender email address field 283, an authentication requirement field 284,an account field 285, and a password field 286.

The server address field 281 is a field to be entered with an IP addressof the mail server 7. The port number field 282 is a field to be enteredwith a port number of a port that the mail server 7 opens to acceptemails. The sender email field 283 is previously set with an emailaddress assigned to the electronic whiteboard 2, as the electronicwhiteboard 2 is an email sender. That is, the email sender is not a useroperating the electronic whiteboard 2, but is previously set as theelectronic whiteboard 2. The authentication requirement field 286 is afield to be set with information indicating whether or not to requestthe mail server 7 to authenticate the email sender. The account field285 and the password field 286 are entered with account information,which is to be used by the mail server 7 to authenticate the electronicwhiteboard two using Send Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

In response to pressing of the “QR code” button 239 by the user, theelectronic whiteboard 2 controls the display 220 to display a QR codedisplay screen 290 as illustrated in FIG. 10D. The QR code displayscreen 290 displays a QR code 291 embedded with the device ID foridentifying the electronic whiteboard 2 (the own device). For example,the user activates a QR code reader application installed on such as thesmart phone, to cause the activated reader application to read the QRcode 291 to obtain the device ID. The QR code display screen 290 furtherincludes an “End” button 297, which switches back from the QR codedisplay screen 290 to the drawing image screen 230. For each of thescreens illustrated in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, “Cancel” buttons 279 and289 are displayed to return to the drawing image screen 230 illustratedin FIG. 8A.

Any one of the IDs described above is an example of identificationinformation identifying the device or terminal, or the user operatingthe device or terminal. In alternative to the device ID or terminal IDfor identifying a specific device, a manufacturing number may be used asidentification information for identifying the device or terminal. Inalternative to the user ID identifying a specific user, an employeenumber, a driver license number, and an individual number called “MyNumber” under the Japan's Social Security and Tax Number System, may beused as identification information for identifying the user.

Further, any one of the above-described control programs may be recordedin a file in a format installable or executable on a computer-readablerecording medium for distribution. Examples of the recording mediuminclude, but not limited to, a compact disc-recordable (CD-R), digitalversatile disc (DVD), blue-ray disc, and SD card. In addition, suchrecording medium may be provided in the form of a program product tousers within a certain country or outside that country.

The servers 5, 6, 7, and 8 may be configured by a single computer or aplurality of computers to which divided portions (functions, means, orstorages) are arbitrarily allocated.

Functional Configuration of Communication System

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a functional configuration of thecommunication system 1 is described according to the embodiment. FIG. 11is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of thecommunication system 1. In FIG. 11, only a part of those terminals,devices, and servers illustrated in FIG. 1 is illustrated, which relatesto processing or operation of transmitting drawing image data via email,as described below. In other words, the electronic whiteboard 2 y,videoconference terminal 13, print server 8, and MFP 9 do not have to beprovided. Since the IC card 3 and the smart phone 4 both have the samefunction of providing the terminal ID identifying the own device, to theelectronic whiteboard 2, the example case of using the IC card 3 isdescribed in the following embodiment referring to FIG. 11.

Functional Configuration of Electronic Whiteboard

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the electronic whiteboard 2 includes atransmitter and receiver 21, an acceptance unit 22, an image and audioprocessor 23, a display control 24, a determiner 24, a first generator26 a, a second generator 26 b, an obtainer and provider 28, and astoring and reading processor 29. These units are functions that areimplemented by or that are caused to function by operating any of theelements illustrated in FIG. 2 in cooperation with the instructions ofthe CPU 201 according to the electronic whiteboard control programexpanded from the SSD 204 to the RAM 203. The electronic whiteboard 2further includes a memory 2000, which is implemented by the RAM 203 andSSD 204 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Each Functional Unit of Electronic Whiteboard)

Next, each functional unit of the electronic whiteboard 2 is describedaccording to the embodiment. The transmitter and receiver 21, which maybe implemented by the instructions of the CPU 201, the network I/F 205,and the external device connection I/F 206, illustrated in FIG. 2,transmits or receives various data (or information) to or from otherterminal, apparatus, or system through the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 22, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 201, the contact sensor 215, and the electronic pen controller 216,illustrated in FIG. 2, accepts various inputs from the user.

The image and audio processor 23 is implemented by the instructions ofthe CPU 201, illustrated in FIG. 2. The image and audio processor 23applies image processing to an image of a subject that has been capturedby the camera 2400. After the audio of the user is converted to an audiosignal by the microphone 2200, the image and audio processor 23 appliesprocessing to audio data based on this audio signal. The image and audioprocessor 23 outputs the audio signal according to the audio data to thespeaker 2300, and the speaker 2300 outputs audio. The image and audioprocessor 23 obtains drawing image data, drawn by the user with theelectronic pen 2500 or the user's hand H onto the display 220, andconverts the drawing image data to coordinate data. For example, whenthe electronic whiteboard 2 x transmits the coordinate data to thewhiteboard 2 y at another site, the electronic whiteboard 2 y controlsthe display 220 to display a drawing image having the same content basedon the received coordinate data.

The display control 24, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2 and by the display controller 213illustrated in FIG. 2, controls the display 220 to display a drawingimage.

The determiner 25, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU201 illustrated in FIG. 2, determines whether the electronic whiteboard2 has received any terminal ID, for example, from the IC card 3 or thesmart phone 4.

The first generator 26 a, which is implemented by the instructions ofthe CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2, generates image data in such as PRCS,from the drawing image data in bitmap that has been generated based ondrawing by the user. The second generator 26 b, which is implemented bythe instructions of the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 2, generates imagedata in PDF, from the drawing image data in bitmap that has beengenerated based on drawing by the user.

The obtainer and provider 28, which is implemented by the instructionsof the CPU 201 and the near-distance communication circuit 219 with theantenna 219 a, illustrated in FIG. 2, communicates with the IC card 3 orthe smart phone 4 to obtain or provide data from or to the IC card 3 orthe smart phone 4 by near-distance communication.

The storing and reading processor 29, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 201 and the SSD 204 illustrated in FIG. 2,performs processing to store various types of data in the memory 2000 orthe recording medium 2100 or to read various types of data stored in thememory 2000 or the recording medium 2100. Further, every time image dataand audio data are received in performing communication with otherelectronic whiteboard or videoconference terminal, the memory 2000overwrites the image data and audio data. The display 220 displays animage based on image data before being overwritten, and the speaker 2300outputs audio based on audio data before being overwritten. Therecording medium 2100 is implemented by the USB memory 2600 illustratedin FIG. 2.

Functional Configuration of IC Card

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the IC card 3 includes an obtainer andprovider 38, and a storing and reading processor 39. These units arefunctions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 3 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 311 according to the IC card control programexpanded from the EEPROM 314 to the RAM 313. The IC card 3 furtherincludes a memory 3000, which is implemented by the RAM 313 and theEEPROM 314 illustrated in FIG. 3.

Each Functional Unit of IC Card)

Next, each functional unit of the IC card 3 is described according tothe embodiment. The obtainer/provider 38, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 311 and the antenna coil 330 illustrated in FIG.3, communicates with the electronic whiteboard 2 to obtain or providedata from or to the electronic whiteboard 2 by near-distancecommunication.

The storing and reading processor 39, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 311 illustrated in FIG. 3, performs processingto store various types of data in the memory 3000 or read various typesof data stored in the memory 3000. The memory 3000 stores a terminal IDfor identifying the IC card 3 as one example of privately-ownedterminal. In case the privately-owned terminal is the smart phone 4, thememory 3000 stores a terminal ID for identifying the smart phone 4.

Functional Configuration of Terminal Management Server

The terminal management server 5 includes a transmitter and receiver 51,an authenticator 52, and a storing and reading processor 59. These unitsare functions that are implemented by or that are caused to function byoperating any of the elements illustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation withthe instructions of the CPU 501 according to the terminal controlprogram expanded from the HD 504 to the RAM 503. The terminal managementserver 5 includes a memory 5000 implemented by the HD 504 illustrated inFIG. 5.

Terminal Management Table

FIG. 12A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal managementtable according to the embodiment. The memory 5000 stores a terminalmanagement DB 5001, which is implemented by the terminal managementtable illustrated in FIG. 12A. The terminal management table illustratedin FIG. 12A stores, for each one of a plurality of privately -ownedterminals (IC card 3, smart phone 4) registered to the terminalmanagement server 5, a user ID identifying a user who owns theprivately-owned terminal in association with the terminal ID identifyingthe privately-owned terminal.

Each Functional Unit of Destination Management Server

Next, each functional unit of the terminal management server 5 isdescribed in detail according to the embodiment. In the followingdescription of the functional configuration of the terminal managementserver 5, relationships of one or more hardware elements in FIG. 5 witheach functional unit of the terminal management server 5 in FIG. 11 willalso be described.

The transmitter and receiver 51 of the terminal management server 5illustrated in FIG. 11, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated inFIG. 5, transmits or receives various types of data (or information) toor from another terminal, device, or system via the communicationnetwork 100.

The authenticator 52, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5, determines whether a terminal IDtransmitted from the electronic whiteboard 2 is a privately-ownedterminal (IC card 3, smart phone 4) owned by the authorized user, whichis previously registered.

The storing and reading processor 59, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 5000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 5000.

Functional Configuration of Destination Management Server

The destination management server 6 includes a transmitter and receiver61, and a storing and reading processor 69. These units are functionsthat are implemented by or that are caused to function by operating anyof the elements illustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with theinstructions of the CPU 501 according to the destination managementprogram expanded from the HD 504 to the RAM 503. The destinationmanagement server 6 includes a memory 6000 implemented by the HD 504illustrated in FIG. 5.

Destination Management Table

FIG. 12B is a conceptual diagram illustrating a destination managementtable according to an embodiment. The memory 6000 stores a destinationmanagement DB 6001 implemented by the destination management tableillustrated in FIG. 12B. The destination management table stores, foreach of one or more registered users being managed by the destinationmanagement server 6, a user ID identifying the user and an email addressof the user, in association with each other.

Each Functional Unit of Destination Management Server)

Next, each functional unit of the destination management server 6 isdescribed in detail according to the embodiment. In the followingdescription of the functional configuration of the destinationmanagement server 6, relationships of the hardware elements in FIG. 5with each functional unit of the destination management server 6 in FIG.11 will also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 61 of the destination management server 6illustrated in FIG. 11, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated inFIG. 5, transmits or receives various types of data (or information) toor from another terminal, device, or system via the communicationnetwork 100.

The storing and reading processor 69, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 6000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 6000.

Functional Configuration of Mail Server>

The mail server 7 includes a transmitter and receiver 71, and a storingand reading processor 79. These units are functions that are implementedby or that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU501 according to the destination management program expanded from the HD504 to the RAM 503. The mail server 7 includes a memory 7000 implementedby the HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 5.

Each Functional Unit of Mail Server

Next, each functional unit of the mail server 7 is described in detailaccording to the embodiment. In the following description of thefunctional configuration of the mail server 7, relationships of thehardware elements in FIG. 5 with each functional unit of the mail server7 in FIG. 11 will also be described.

The transmitter and receiver 71 of the mail server illustrated in FIG.11, which is implemented by the instructions of the CPU 501 illustratedin FIG. 5 and by the network I/F 509 illustrated in FIG. 5, transmits orreceives various types of data (or information) to or from anotherterminal, device, or system via the communication network 100.

The storing and reading processor 79, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the HDD 505illustrated in FIG. 5, performs processing to store various types ofdata in the memory 7000 or read various types of data stored in thememory 7000.

Functional Configuration of PC

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the PC 10 includes a transmitter and receiver11, an acceptance unit 12, a display control 14, and a storing andreading processor 19. These units are functions that are implemented byor that are caused to function by operating any of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 5 in cooperation with the instructions of the CPU501 according to the terminal control program expanded from the HD 504to the RAM 503. The PC 10 further includes a memory 1000 implemented bythe HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 5.

Each Functional Unit of PC

Next, a functional configuration of the PC 10 is described in detail.The transmitter/receiver 11 of the PC 10 illustrated in FIG. 11, whichis implemented by the instructions of the CPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5and by the network I/F 509 illustrated in FIG. 5, transmits or receivesvarious types of data (or information) to or from another terminal,device, or system via the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 12, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501, keyboard 511, and mouse 512, illustrated in FIG. 5, acceptsvarious inputs from the user.

The display control 14, which is implemented by the instructions of theCPU 501 illustrated in FIG. 5, controls the display 508 to display suchas a drawing image.

The storing and reading processor 19, which is implemented by theinstructions of the CPU 501 and the HDD 505 illustrated in FIG. 5,performs processing to store various types of data in the memory 1000 orthe recording medium 1100 or to read various types of data stored in thememory 1000 or the recording medium 1100. The recording medium 1100 isimplemented by the recording medium 506 illustrated in FIG. 5.

Operations

In the following, operations of processing email transmission, performedby the communication system 1, are described according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The following describes an example case in whichthe user A and the user B are having a meeting in a certain meeting roomusing the electronic whiteboard 2 x, as illustrated in FIG. 1. After animage is drawn by at least one of the user A and the user B, theelectronic whiteboard 2 x transmits the drawing image data to at leastone of the PC 10 a owned by the user A and the PC 10 b owned by the userB.

Operation of First Embodiment

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 17, operation of processing email transmissionaccording to a first embodiment is described. FIG. 13 is a sequencediagram illustrating operation of transmitting or receiving datarelating an image according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is anillustration for explaining a use scenario of the electronic whiteboard2, according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumedthat the terminal management server 5 has been already installed in acompany, which manages the user ID in association with the terminal IDof the privately-owned device such as the IC card 3 owned by the user.The electronic whiteboard 2 x and the destination management server 6are newly installed in the company, to construct the communicationsystem 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 13, the users A and B conduct the meeting, using adrawing image drawn on the electronic whiteboard 2 x with the electronicpen 2500. The electronic whiteboard 2 x processes the drawing imagedrawn by the user A or B to generate drawing image data (S31). Thedrawing image data is stored in a memory such as a local memory of theelectronic whiteboard 2 every predetermined time, for example. Asdescribed above, the drawing image data may be transmitted via email.There are mainly two methods of transmitting drawing image data as anattachment to an email, from the electronic whiteboard 2 x to at leastone of the PC10 a and PC 10 b.

Assuming that the user A instructs email transmission, according to thefirst transmission method, the user A presses the “Menu” button 231illustrated in FIG. 8A, to cause the display 220 to display the menuselection screen 232 as illustrated in FIG. 8B. The user A furtherpresses the “Email” button 237 illustrated in FIG. 8B to display theaddress configuration field 274 illustrated in FIG. 10A, and selects anemail address of the user A to be entered in the address configurationfield 274 as illustrated in FIG. 10B. Alternatively, after instructingto display the destination configuration screen 270 as illustrated inFIG. 10A, the user A may select the “Manual input” tab 272 to manuallyenter the email address of the user A with such as the electronic pen2500.

It is, however, desirable to quickly transmit the drawing image data tothe PC 10 a owned by the user A, as a time for meeting is usuallylimited. For instance, there may be another user who is waiting to usethe electronic whiteboard 2 x during or after the meeting. In view ofthis, the following second transmission method is preferably used, whichallows quick data transmission.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, for example, after drawing an image, the userA brings his or her IC card 3 into proximity of a near-distancecommunication device 221 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x. Thenear-distance communication device 221 corresponds to the near -distancecommunication circuit 219 and the antenna 219 a. In response todetection of the IC card 3 (or any object) at the near-distancecommunication device 221, the electronic whiteboard 2 x startsprocessing to prepare for transmission of an email attached with drawingimage data (S32). More specifically, the obtainer and provider 28 of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x obtains the terminal ID for identifying the ICcard 3 (as the privately-owned terminal), from the obtainer and provider38 of the IC card 3. Referring to FIG. 15, preparation processing ofemail transmission is described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustratingoperation of preparation processing of transmission of an email,according to the embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the determiner 25 of the electronicwhiteboard 2 x determines whether the terminal ID is obtained at theobtainer and provider 28 (S32-1). In this example, it is assumed thatthe determiner 25 determines that the terminal ID is obtained (“YES”),and the operation proceeds to S33 illustrated in FIG. 13.

In contrary, in the above-described first transmission method, the userA switches between a plurality of screens that are sequentiallydisplayed to instruct transmission of drawing image data, without usingthe IC card 3. In the first transmission method, since the IC card 3 isnot brought close to the near-distance communication device 221, thedeterminer 25 determines that the terminal ID is not obtained at S32-1(“NO” at S32-1). In such case, the determiner 25 further determineswhether the “Email” button 237 is pressed on the menu selection screen232 illustrated in FIG. 8B, to instruct display of the destinationconfiguration screen 270 illustrated in FIG. 10A (S32-2). At S32-2, whenthe determiner 25 determines that the instruction to display of thedestination configuration screen 270 is not accepted (“NO” at S32-2),the operation returns to S32-1.

In contrary, at S32-2, when the determiner 25 determines that theinstruction to display the destination configuration screen 270 isaccepted (“YES” at S32-2), the display control 220 causes the display220 to display the destination configuration screen 270 as illustratedin FIG. 10A (S32-3). Next, the acceptance unit 22 of the electronicwhiteboard 2 x accepts selection of the email address from the emailaddresses being displayed on the registered address book field 273illustrated in FIG. 10A, or input of the email address after selectionof the “Manual input” tab 272 (S32-4). The operation then proceeds toS40 of FIG. 13.

Assuming that the determiner 25 determines that the terminal ID isobtained (“YES” at S32-1), processing after S33 is described referringto FIG. 13.

The transmitter and receiver 21 of the electronic whiteboard 2 xtransmits an authentication request for authenticating the IC card 3 tothe terminal management server 5 (S33). The authentication requestincludes the terminal ID of the IC card 3, obtained at the obtainer andprovider 28. The terminal management server 5 receives theauthentication request at the transmitter and receiver 51.

The authenticator 52 of the terminal management server 5 authenticatesthe IC card 3 using the terminal ID that is obtained (S34). Morespecifically, the storing and reading processor 59 searches the terminalmanagement table (FIG. 12A) in the terminal management DB 5001 using theterminal ID received at S33 as a search key, to obtain the user IDassociated with the terminal ID. When the user ID associated with theterminal ID is found, the authenticator 52 confirms the terminal ID ofthe IC card 3 to determine that the IC card 3 (terminal ID) is alegitimate IC card owned by the authorized user identified with the userID that is found. When the user ID associated with the terminal ID isnot found, the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 (terminalID) is not a legitimate IC card owned by the authorized user.

Next, the transmitter and receiver 51 of the terminal management server5 transmits an authentication result to the electronic whiteboard 2 x(S35). When the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 is alegitimate IC card, the authentication result includes informationindicating that the IC card 3 is a legitimate IC card and the user IDidentifying the user who owns the IC card 3. When the authenticator 52determines that the IC card 3 is not a legitimate IC card, theauthentication result includes information indicating that the IC card 3is not a legitimate IC card. The transmitter and receiver 21 of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x receives the authentication result. Asdescribed above, in this example, the terminal management server 5having a function of returning an authentication result to anauthentication requester, has been already installed in this company.Since it is often desirable for the company (user) not to change how theterminal management server 5 operates, the basic operation of returningthe authentication result is not changed, even after installation of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x and the destination management server 6.Accordingly, in this embodiment, the terminal management server 5returns the authentication result to the electronic whiteboard 2 x.

Next, the electronic whiteboard 2 x performs processing based on theauthentication result (S36). In one example, when the authenticationresult includes information indicating that the IC card 3 is not alegitimate IC card, the display control 24 controls the display 220 todisplay a message indicating that email transmission is not allowed.When the authentication result includes information indicating that theIC card 3 is a legitimate IC card, the electronic whiteboard 2 xcontinues to process email transmission of drawing image data. Thefollowing describes the case where the authentication result includesthe information indicating that the IC card 3 is a legitimate IC card.

The transmitter and receiver 21 of the electronic whiteboard 2 xtransmits a request for email address of the user who owns the IC card 3(user A, in this example) to the destination management server 6 (S37).The email address request includes the user ID that is received at S35.The destination management server 6 receives the email address requestat the transmitter and receiver 61.

Next, the storing and reading processor 69 of the destination managementserver 6 searches the destination management table (FIG. 12B) in thedestination management DB 6001, using the user ID received at S37 as asearch key, to obtain the email address associated with the user ID(S38). The transmitter and receiver 61 transmits a response to the emailaddress request to the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S39). The responseincludes an email address read at S38, which is associated with the userID of the user who owns the IC card 3. The electronic whiteboard 2 xreceives the response to the email address request at the transmitterand receiver 21.

The electronic whiteboard 2 x controls the display 220 to display adestination confirmation screen (S40). Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17,operation of controlling display of the destination confirmation screenis described in detail. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operation ofprocessing display of the destination confirmation screen, according tothe embodiment. FIG. 17 is an illustration of an example destinationconfirmation screen displayed by the display at the electronicwhiteboard.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the determiner 25 determines whether theemail address that has been received from the destination managementserver 6 at S39 is a first email address that has been firstly receivedafter login to the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S40-1). Since theelectronic whiteboard 2 x is a shared terminal shared by a plurality ofusers, login may be performed by any user using the electronicwhiteboard 2 x, for example, at the start of meeting. The determinationresult obtained at S40-1 is reset every time the user is logged off fromthe electronic whiteboard 2 x. When the determiner 25 determines thatthe email address is the first email address that has been firstlyreceived (“YES” at S40-1), the display control 24 controls the display220 to display a destination confirmation screen 300 including the firstemail address that has been received at S39, as illustrated in FIG. 17A(S40-2).

In the first transmission method, as the user A selects an email addressfrom the registered address book field 273 on the destinationconfiguration screen 270 illustrated in FIG. 10A, the display control 24causes the display 220 to display, in the address configuration field274 illustrated in FIG. 10B, the email address selected by the user A.In the second transmission method, the user A can input his or her emailaddress, simply by bringing the IC card 3 close to the near-distancecommunication device 221 as illustrated in FIG. 14. For this reasons,any one of the destination confirmation screens 300 illustrated in FIGS.17A and 17B does not have to display the registered address book field273, but only the address configuration field 301. This results in ascreen that is simpler in form, compared to the above-described screensillustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

Next, the determiner 25 determines whether the “Send” button 307 in thedestination confirmation screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 17A is selected(S40-4). When the determiner 25 determines that the “Send” button 307 ispressed (“YES” at S40-4), the operation proceeds to S41 of FIG. 13 to bedescribed later.

In contrary, at S40-1, when the determiner 25 determines that the emailaddress received from the destination management server 6 at S39 is notthe first email address that has been firstly received after login (“NO”at S40-1), the operation proceeds to S40-3. At 40-3, the display control24 controls the display 220 to additionally display, with the firstemail address, a second email address that has been received after thefirst email address has been received, as illustrated in FIG. 17B. Theoperation then proceeds to S40-4. In a substantially similar manner asdescribed above, the determiner 25 determines whether the “Send” button307 in the destination confirmation screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 17Bis selected (S40-4). The second email address is additionally displayed,for example, when the user B brings his or her smart phone 4 intoproximity to the near-distance communication device 221, for example,after the destination confirmation screen 300 of FIG. 17A is displayedat the electronic whiteboard 2 x in response to operation of the user Athat brings his or her IC card 3 to the near-distance communicationdevice 221.

At S40-4, when the determiner 25 determines that the “Send” button 307in the destination configuration screen 300 is not pressed (“NO” atS40-4), the determiner 25 further determines whether the “Cancel” button309 is pressed (S40-5). When the determiner 25 determines that the“Cancel” button 309 is pressed (“YES” at S40-5), the operation returnsto S31 of FIG. 13. When the determiner 25 determines that the “Cancel”button 309 is not pressed (“NO” at S40-5), the operation proceeds toS40-6. The determiner 25 determines whether the terminal ID is obtainedat the obtainer and provider 28 (S40-6). When it is determined that theterminal ID is not obtained (“NO” at S40-6), the operation returns toS40 -4. When it is determined that the terminal ID is obtained (“YES” atS40-6), the operation proceeds to S33 to repeat operation of obtainingan email address of the user using the obtained terminal ID.

Assuming that the determiner 25 determines that the “Send” button 307 ispressed at S40-4, the processing after S41 is described referring toFIG. 13. The following describes an example case in which the user Abrings his or her IC card 3 into proximity of the near -distancecommunication device 221, and then the user B brings his or her smartphone 4 into proximity of the near-distance communication device 221.Accordingly, the electronic whiteboard 2 x obtains email addresses ofthe user A and the user B.

The second generator 26 b of the electronic whiteboard 2 x generatesimage data in PDF, from the drawing image data in bitmap that has beengenerated based on drawing by the user (S41). In this example, thedrawing image data is captured when an instruction for emailtransmission is received, such as with pressing of the “Email” button incase of the first transmission method, or with detection of an object atthe near-distance communication device 221 in case of the secondtransmission method. The transmitter and receiver 21 transmits an emailattached with the image data in PDF that is generated at S41, to themail server 7 (S42). The email includes a sender email address of theelectronic whiteboard 2 x, and a destination email address that is, anaddress of the PC 10 a or the PC 10 b that is received at S39. Thetransmitter and receiver 71 of the mail server 7 receives the emailattached with the image data in PDF.

The transmitter and receiver 71 of the mail server 7 transmits theemail, attached with the image data in PDF, to each one of the PC 10 aand the PC 10 b (S43, S44). The email includes a sender email address ofthe electronic whiteboard 2 x, and a destination email address that is,an address of the PC 10 a or the PC 10 b that is received at S39. Eachof the PC 10 a and PC 10 b receives the email attached with the imagedata in PDF, which is generated based on the drawing image drawn on theelectronic whiteboard x.

As described above, according to the second transmission method, as longas the user such as the user A brings his or her IC card 3 intoproximity of the near-distance communication device 221, the drawingimage data is automatically transmitted to a terminal owned by the usersuch as the PC 10 a, thus reducing the work load compared to the firsttransmission method. This greatly reduces a time required for sendingdata, such as drawing image data, to one or more users. Accordingly, theusers using the meeting room are able to leave the meeting right afterthe meeting ends, without causing other user who reserves that

Referring to FIG. 18, operation of processing email transmission,performed by the communication system 1 of FIG. 1, is describedaccording to a second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagramillustrating a part of operation of transmitting or receiving dataregarding an image according to the second embodiment. In thisembodiment, it is assumed that, the electronic whiteboard 2 x, theterminal management server 5, and the destination management server 6are newly installed in a user environment. That is, at least a part offunctions of the terminal management server 5 and the destinationmanagement server 6 may be integrated. In this embodiment, steps S33 toS39 of FIG. 13 according to the first embodiment are replaced by stepsS133 to S138 of FIG. 18, such that the following describes operation of5133 to 5138.

At S32-1 illustrated in FIG. 15, when the determiner 25 determines thatthe terminal ID is obtained (“YES” at S32-1), referring to FIG. 18, thetransmitter and receiver 21 of the electronic whiteboard 2 x transmits arequest for email address to the terminal management server 5 (S133).The email address request includes the terminal ID of the IC card 3,obtained at the obtainer and provider 28. The terminal management server5 receives the email address request at the transmitter and receiver 51.

The authenticator 52 of the terminal management server 5 authenticatesthe IC card 3 using the terminal ID that is obtained (S134). Morespecifically, the storing and reading processor 59 searches the terminalmanagement table (FIG. 12A) in the terminal management DB 5001 using theterminal ID received at S133 as a search key, to obtain the user IDassociated with the terminal ID. When the user ID associated with theterminal ID is found, the authenticator 52 confirms the terminal ID ofthe IC card 3 to determine that the IC card 3 (terminal ID) is alegitimate IC card owned by the authorized user identified with the userID that is found. When the user ID associated with the terminal ID isnot found, the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 (terminalID) is not a legitimate IC card owned by the authorized user.

When the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 is not alegitimate IC card, the transmitter and receiver 51 transmits, to theelectronic whiteboard 2 x, the authentication result includinginformation indicating that the IC card 3 is not a legitimate IC card(S135).

The transmitter and receiver 21 of the electronic whiteboard 2 xreceives the authentication result. In this case, since theauthentication result includes information indicating that the IC card 3is not a legitimate IC card, the display control 24 of the electronicwhiteboard 2 x controls the display 220 to display a message indicatingthat email transmission is not allowed (S136).

At S134, when the authenticator 52 determines that the IC card 3 is alegitimate IC card with the authenticated terminal ID, the transmitterand receiver 51 transmits, to the destination management server 6, arequest for email address at S137. The email address request includesthe user ID associated with the terminal ID extracted from the IC card3. The destination management server 6 receives the email addressrequest at the transmitter and receiver 61. As described above, in thisexample, the electronic whiteboard 2 x, terminal management server 5,and destination management server 6 are newly installed in the userenvironment. In such case, the functions of the terminal managementserver 5 can be freely changed. For this reasons, in this embodiment,the terminal management server 5 is programed so as to send a requestfor email address to the destination management server 6, in place ofthe electronic whiteboard 2 x.

Next, the storing and reading processor 69 of the destination managementserver 6 searches the destination management table (FIG. 12B) in thedestination management DB 6001, using the user ID received at S137 as asearch key, to obtain the email address associated with the user ID(S138). The transmitter and receiver 61 transmits a response to theemail address request to the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S139). Theaddress of the electronic whiteboard 2 x may be obtained from theterminal management server 5, for example, when the request for emailaddress is received. The response includes an email address read atS138, which is associated with the user ID of the user who owns the ICcard 3. The electronic whiteboard 2 x receives the response to the emailaddress request at the transmitter and receiver 21. Accordingly, theelectronic whiteboard 2 x obtains the email address of the user A, whobrings the IC card 3 into proximity of the near-distance communicationdevice 221.

As described above, in this embodiment, the terminal management server 5sends a request for email address to the destination management server 6in place of the electronic whiteboard 2 x (S137). This reducesprocessing to be performed at the electronic whiteboard 2 x.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, useroperation required for transmitting data such as the drawing image datavia email is simplified, thus reducing the workload for the user.

In any one of the above-described embodiments, the electronic whiteboard2 x displays the destination confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 17Aor 17B, in response to detection of the IC card 3 or the smart phone 4into proximity of the near-distance communication device 221.Alternatively, this process of displaying the destination confirmationscreen (S40) may be omitted. In such case, in response to detection ofthe IC card 3 owned by the user A to the near-distance communicationdevice 221, the electronic whiteboard 2 x automatically transmits, tothe mail sever 7, an email that is addressed to the PC 10 a owned by theuser A, and attached with the PDF image data. This further reduces timerequired for preparing email transmission of the drawing image data bythe user.

The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit thepresent invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example,elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may becombined with each other and/or substituted for each other within thescope of the present invention.

For example, in alternative to sending data of an image to be shared viaemail as an attachment file to the email, the electronic whiteboard 2 xmay send an email with a link to such image data via email. Morespecifically, the electronic whiteboard 2 x stores the image data in anydesired storage area on the network, and generates an email including alink to an address indicating the storage area where the image data isstored. The electronic whiteboard 2 x further sends the email with thelink, to the email address that is received from the destinationmanagement server 6. The address may be expressed by a URL, for example.

Further, the user may instruct the electronic whiteboard 2 to send anydesired data regarding an image being displayed on the display 220 ofthe electronic whiteboard 2. Examples of such data regarding the imageinclude, but not limited to, drawing image data that reflects drawingsmade by the user as described above, and non-drawing image data such asdata of a presentation material as described above. For example, thedata of the presentation material having additional drawing made by theuser, or a link to such data, may be transmitted via email to allowaccess from the user.

In another example, the electronic whiteboard 2 may send image data ofan electronic watermark, in addition to stroke data corresponding to thestroke data that reflects drawings made by the user. The electronicwatermark data is any image, which is superimposed on a layer of thestroke data (that is, the drawing image data) for display to the user.The electronic watermark data may be stored in any desired memory, suchas a memory of the electronic whiteboard 2. To make the stroke datavisible to the user, the watermark data is displayed, for example, inpartly transparent. For example, the image with the word “confidential”may be superimposed on the drawing image data, to warn the user that thedrawing image data is confidential. When sending the drawing image data,which is displayed with the watermark data, the electronic whiteboard 2may generate a PDF file of the drawing image data and the watermarkdata, and send an email addressed to the email address of the user,attached with a file of the generated PDF file. Alternatively, theelectronic whiteboard 2 may send an email with a link to the file of thegenerated PDF file. With the watermark being displayed with the drawingimage data (or any other image data), the user is able to know that suchimage data is confidential information.

In another example, the electronic whiteboard 2 may display the imagedata, such as the drawing image data, without the electronic watermarkdata. When sending the drawing image data, the electronic whiteboard 2may generate a PDF file of the drawing image data and the watermarkdata, and send an email attached with a file of the generated PDF fileor an email with a link to the generated PDF file. This improvesvisibility to the user during videoconferencing or any conferencing,while increasing a level of security when sending image data via email.

As described above, examples of the data regarding the image includedata of an image being displayed at the electronic whiteboard such asthe drawing image data, the drawing image data with the watermark data,any presentation material, etc. Other examples of the data regarding theimage include data relating to the displayed image such as the watermarkdata.

Examples of drawings made by the user include, but not limited to,characters, marks, figures, etc., which may be drawn by the user eithermanually or using any graphics processing tool.

Further, the drawing image data may be captured at a time when a userinstruction for sending the drawing image data is received.Alternatively, the drawing image data may be obtained from a localmemory of the electronic whiteboard 2. For instance, the user mayinstruct the electronic whiteboard 2 to send drawing image data, whichhas been previously stored in a memory or read out from a removablerecording medium. In such case, the user may firstly cause theelectronic whiteboard 2 to display such image on the display 220 to beshared by a plurality of uses.

Further, the above-described example case assumes that only two users(user A and user B) instruct to send drawing image data via email.Alternatively, any number of users may instruct the electronicwhiteboard 2 to send drawing image data via email. With detection of theterminal identification information, the electronic whiteboard 2 repeatsoperation of obtaining an email address.

The present invention can be implemented in any convenient form, forexample using dedicated hardware, or a mixture of dedicated hardware andsoftware. The present invention may be implemented as computer softwareimplemented by one or more networked processing apparatuses. Theprocessing apparatuses can compromise any suitably programmedapparatuses such as a general-purpose computer, personal digitalassistant, mobile telephone (such as a WAP or 3G-compliant phone) and soon. Since the present invention can be implemented as software, each andevery aspect of the present invention thus encompasses computer softwareimplementable on a programmable device. The computer software can beprovided to the programmable device using any conventional recordingmedium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, CD ROM, magnetic tape deviceor solid state memory device.

Each of the functions of the described embodiments may be implemented byone or more processing circuits or circuitry. Processing circuitryincludes a programmed processor, as a processor includes circuitry. Aprocessing circuit also includes devices such as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), DSP (digital signal processor), FPGA (fieldprogrammable gate array) and conventional circuit components arranged toperform the recited functions.

In one example, the shared terminal includes: circuitry to control adisplay to display an image to a plurality of users, the plurality ofusers sharing a use of the shared terminal; and a network interface tocommunicate with a terminal management server and a destinationmanagement server through a network. The terminal management serverstores in a first memory, for each one of the plurality of users, useridentification information for identifying the user in association withterminal identification information for identifying a privately -ownedterminal privately owned by the user. The destination management serverstores in a second memory, for each one of the plurality of users, theuser identification information of the user in association with an emailaddress of the user. The circuitry obtains, from a first privately-ownedterminal owned by a first user of the plurality of users, first terminalidentification information for identifying the first privately-ownedterminal. Under control of the circuitry, the network interface:transmits the first terminal identification information of the firstprivately-owned terminal to the terminal management server; receivesfirst user identification information for identifying the first userfrom the terminal management server, the first user identificationinformation being obtained by the terminal management server from thefirst memory using the first terminal identification informationreceived from the shared terminal; transmits the first useridentification information that is received to the destinationmanagement server; receives a first email address of the first user fromthe destination management server, the first email address beingobtained by the destination management server from the second memoryusing the first user identification information received from the sharedterminal; and transmits an email addressed to the first email address toallow the first user to obtain data relating the image being displayedto the plurality of users through the shared terminal.

In another example, the shared terminal includes a shared terminalincluding: circuitry to control a display to display an image to aplurality of users, the plurality of users sharing a use of the sharedterminal; and a network interface to communicate with a terminalmanagement server and a destination management server through a network.The terminal management server storing in a first memory, for each oneof the plurality of users, user identification information foridentifying the user in association with terminal identificationinformation for identifying the privately-owned terminal owned by theuser. The destination management server storing in a second memory, foreach one of the plurality of users, the user identification informationof the user in association with an email address of the user. Thecircuitry obtains, from a first privately-owned terminal owned by afirst user of the plurality of users, first terminal identificationinformation for identifying the first privately-owned terminal. Undercontrol of the circuitry, the network interface: transmits the firstterminal identification information of the first privately-ownedterminal to the terminal management server; receives a first emailaddress of the first user from the destination management server, thefirst email address being obtained by the destination management serverfrom the memory using first user identification information foridentifying the first user received from the terminal management server,the first user identification information being obtained by the terminalmanagement server from the memory using the first terminalidentification information received from the shared terminal; andtransmits an email addressed to the first email address to allow thefirst user to obtain data relating the image being displayed to theplurality of users through the shared terminal.

In another example, in any one of the above-described shared terminal,the circuitry obtains the first terminal identification informationwhile the image is being displayed on the display.

In one example, the circuitry controls the display to display adestination confirmation screen for confirming the first email addressto which the email is to be transmitted.

In one example, the circuitry determines whether the first email addressis an email address that has been received for the first time afterlogin to the shared terminal. When the circuitry determines that thefirst email address is an email address that has been received for thefirst time, the destination confirmation screen includes only the firstemail address.

When the circuitry determines that the first email address is not anemail address that has been received for the first time, the destinationconfirmation screen includes the first email address in addition to acurrently displayed email address, the previously obtained email addressbeing previously obtained as an email address of a second user of theplurality of users different from the first user.

In one example, in response to a user operation of drawing an image on adisplay surface of the display, the circuitry controls the display todisplay a drawing image that reflects the user operation of drawing, asthe image being displayed.

In one example, the network interface transmits the first email addressattached with the data relating the image, or the first email addressincluding a link to a storage area where the data relating the image isstored.

In one example, the circuitry converts the drawing image in bitmap, tothe image data in portable document format (PDF), as the image data tobe transmitted as an attachment file to the email.

1. A shared terminal, comprising: circuitry configured to cause a display to display an image to a plurality of users, the plurality of users simultaneously sharing use of the shared terminal; and a network interface configured to communicate with a destination management server through a network, the destination management server being different from the shared terminal and storing, in a memory, for each of the plurality of users, user identification information of the user in association with an email address of the user, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: obtain, from a first terminal of a first user of the plurality of users, first terminal identification information identifying the first terminal; transmit first user identification information of the user of the first terminal to the destination management server; receive, from the destination management server, a first email address of the first user, the first email address being obtained from the memory of the destination management server using the first user identification information; and transmit an email addressed to the received first email address to allow the first user to obtain data relating to the image displayed to the plurality of users.
 2. The shared terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the circuitry obtains the first terminal identification information while the image is being displayed to the plurality of users, the network interface is further configured to transmit the first terminal identification information to a terminal management server.
 3. The shared terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display a destination confirmation screen for confirming the first email address to which the email is to be transmitted. the circuitry is further configured to determine whether the first email address is an email address that has been received for the first time after login to the shared terminal, and when the circuitry determines that the first email address is an email address that has been received for the first time, the circuitry is further configured to cause the displayed destination confirmation screen to include only the first email address.
 5. The shared terminal according to claim 3, wherein: the circuitry is further configured to determine whether the first email address is an email address that has been received for the first time after login to the shared terminal, and when the circuitry determines that the first email address is not an email address that has been received for the first time and is a previously obtained email address, the circuitry is further configured to cause the destination confirmation screen to include the first email address in addition to a currently displayed email address, the previously obtained email address being previously obtained as an email address of a second user, of the plurality of users, different from the first user.
 6. The shared terminal according to claim 3, wherein in response to a user operation of drawing a drawn image on a display surface of the display, the circuitry is further configured to control the display to display a drawing image indicating the user operation of drawing, as the drawn image is being displayed.
 7. The shared terminal according to claim 6, wherein the network interface is further configured to transmit the first email address, which is attached with the data relating to the drawn image, or transmit the first email address, which includes a link to a storage area where the data relating to the drawn image is stored.
 8. The shared terminal according to claim 6, wherein: the circuitry is further configured to convert the drawing image in bitmap to image data formatted in a portable document format (PDF), and the network interface is further configured to transmit the email attached with the image data formatted in the PDF.
 9. The shared terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain the first terminal identification information from the first terminal by near-distance communication technology.
 10. The shared terminal according to claim 9, wherein the near-distance communication technology is one of Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth.
 11. The shared terminal according to claim 1, wherein the shared terminal is an electronic whiteboard including the display.
 12. The shared terminal according to claim 1, wherein the network interface is further configured to: communicate with a terminal management server that stores in a memory of the terminal management server, for each one of the plurality of users, user identification information identifying the user in association with terminal identification information identifying a privately-owned terminal privately owned by the user; transmit the first terminal identification information of the first terminal to the terminal management server; and receive, prior to transmitting the first user identification information, the first user identification information identifying the first user from the terminal management server, the first user identification information being obtained by the terminal management server from the memory using the first terminal identification information received from the shared terminal.
 13. A communication system, comprising: the shared terminal of claim 12; the terminal management server; and the destination management server.
 14. The communication system of claim 13, further comprising: the privately-owned terminal, including at least one of an IC card and a smart phone.
 15. A method of controlling transmission of an image, performed by a shared terminal, the method comprising: displaying, on a display, an image to a plurality of users, the plurality of users simultaneously sharing use of the shared terminal; communicating with a destination management server, the destination management server storing, in a memory, for each one of the plurality of users, user identification information of the user in association with an email address of the user; obtaining, from a first terminal of a first user of the plurality of users, first terminal identification information identifying the first terminal; transmitting the received first user identification information to the destination management server; receiving a first email address of the first user from the destination management server, the first email address being obtained from the memory of the destination management server using the first user identification information; and transmitting an email addressed to the first email address to allow the first user to obtain data relating to the image displayed to the plurality of users.
 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: communicating with a terminal management server that stores in a memory of the terminal management server, for each one of the plurality of users, user identification information identifying the user in association with terminal identification information identifying a privately-owned terminal privately owned by the user; transmitting the first terminal identification information of the first terminal to the terminal management server; and receiving, prior to transmitting the first user identification information, the first user identification information identifying the first user from the terminal management server, the first user identification information being obtained by the terminal management server from the memory using the first terminal identification information received from the shared terminal.
 17. A non-transitory recording medium including a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method of controlling transmission of an image, performed by a shared terminal, the method comprising. displaying, on a display, an image to a plurality of users, the plurality of users simultaneously sharing use of the shared terminal; communicating with a destination management server, the destination management server storing, in a memory, for each one of the plurality of users, user identification information of the user in association with an email address of the user; obtaining, from a first terminal of a first user of the plurality of users, first terminal identification information identifying the first terminal; transmitting the received first user identification information to the destination management server; receiving a first email address of the first user from the destination management server, the first email address being obtained from the memory of the destination management server using the first user identification information; and transmitting an email addressed to the first email address to allow the first user to obtain data relating to the image displayed to the plurality of users.
 18. The non-transitory recording medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: communicating with a terminal management server that stores in a memory of the terminal management server, for each one of the plurality of users, user identification information identifying the user in association with terminal identification information identifying a privately-owned terminal privately owned by the user; transmitting the first terminal identification information of the first terminal to the terminal management server; and receiving, prior to transmitting the first user identification information, the first user identification information identifying the first user from the terminal management server, the first user identification information being obtained by the terminal management server from the memory using the first terminal identification information received from the shared terminal.
 19. The shared terminal of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain, from the first terminal of the first user of the plurality of users, first terminal identification information identifying the first terminal, in response to establishing communication between the shared terminal and the first terminal. 